Forever Young: People Who Died in Their Early Twenties

Olga Nikolaevna (September 11, 1822 – October 30, 1892)

Grand Duchess of Russia

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Olga Nikolaevna was the eldest daughter of the Nicholas II, the last emperor of Russia, and Alexandra of Hesse. She was only 22 when she was assassinated by the Bolshevik secret police in Ekaterinburg, Siberia along with her entire family–her parents; sisters Tatiana (21), Maria (19) and Anastasia (17); and her only brother Alexei (14).

Pocahontas (ca.1595 – March 21, 1617)

Native American Princess

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Although her life has been mythologized to some extent, Pocahontas was a real person who played a key role in the lives of the first British settlers in Jamestown, Virginia. In 1614, she married a British gentleman named John Rolfe and settled in England where she was feted like a princess. Pocahontas died of small pox at age 22 while preparing to return to Virginia with her husband.

Billy the Kid (November 23, 1859 - July 14, 1881)

American Frontier Gunman and Outlaw

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Born Henry McCarty, Billy the Kid was already notorious for his lawlessness in his early teens. He allegedly killed at least 27 men before he was 22 when the law finally caught up with him. Billy the Kid succumbed to gunshot wounds inflicted by Sheriff Patrick Garrett, who incidentally wrote his biography that propelled him into a legend and symbol of the American Old West.

Antinous (ca. AD 110/111 – 132)

Roman Emperor Hadrian’s Lover

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Antinous was a favorite of Hadrian and often accompanied him on his many travels throughout the empire. It was during one of these travels that Antinous drowned in the river Nile, aged only around 21 or 22 years. Hadrian was inconsolable upon learning of Antinous’ death that he had him deified, and had cities named, statues erected, temples built, festival celebrated and oracles delivered in his honor.

Gavrilo Princip (July 25, 1894 – April 28, 1918)

Yugoslav Nationalist

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The shots fired by Gavrilo Princip that killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, set off a chain of events that ultimately provoked the First World War. Princip was arrested and sent to Theresienstadt (a military fortress that later became an infamous Nazi camp), where he died of tuberculosis and malnutrition under harsh conditions. He was only 23.

Otto III (980 – January 23, 1002)

Holy Roman Emperor (996-1002)

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Otto III had ambitions of reviving the glory and power of the old Roman Empire with himself as leader of the world Christianity. His first attempt to make Rome his capital failed, having been forced out by the Romans in 1001. His preparation to retake the city ended when he died at age 21 of malaria caught in the unhealthy marshes that surrounded Ravenna or poison as some sources suggested.

Jan Palach (August 11, 1948 – January 19, 1969)

Czech Political Activist

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At the age of 21, Jan Palach set fire on himself in Wenceslas Square in Prague, being the first of many students who signed a suicide pact in protest against Soviet-led Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia designed to suppress the liberal reforms of Alexander Dubček, in what came to be known as Prague Spring.

Charles IX (June 27, 1550 – May 30, 1574)

King of France (1560-1574)

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Born Charles-Maximilien, Charles IX unfortunately is most remembered as the king at the time of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre (August 24-25, 1572), when thousands of French Protestant Huguenots were massacred by a Catholic mob in Paris. As one who had always been emotionally and physically fragile, he was severely traumatized by the event, leaving him progressively delusional; he eventually died of tuberculosis at age 23.

Forever Young Series:

• MUSICIANS Who Died in Their:

  • Early Twenties
  • Mid-Twenties
  • Late Twenties

• ACTORS Who Died in Their:

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  • Mid-twenties
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• SPORTS PERSONALITIES Who Died in Their:
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• HISTORICAL PEOPLE Who Died in Their:

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More articles you might be interested in:

• 10 Bizarre Deaths in History
• 10 (more) Bizarre Deaths in History
• 10 (ultimate) Bizarre Deaths in History
• Unusual Wills and Testaments